EIS Cloud migration with refactoring

This summary covers a public procurement opportunity issued by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) for the re-architecture and cloud deployment of the European Index Server (EIS) to a cloud-native environment on Microsoft Azure. The opportunity is identified as EMSA/2025/OP/0035 and was published on November 27, 2025, with a total estimated contract value of €1,800,000, placing it within the €1 million to €5 million range.

The tender is characterized as an open procedure, meaning that any qualified organization can submit a proposal electronically through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. The submission deadline is January 5, 2026, at 16:00 UTC, and the public opening of tenders will occur on January 7, 2026, at 11:00 UTC.

Eligible applicants include large enterprises and established IT service providers; while small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are not specifically targeted, they are not explicitly prohibited from participating. There is a focus on applicants with strong technical expertise in cloud architecture, system rearchitecture, and Azure cloud implementation. The contracting authority will award the contract to a single contractor based on a quality (70%) versus price (30%) evaluation criterion, emphasizing the project’s technical complexity.

The project involves the modernization of the EIS system, requiring various tasks including cloud migration, database design, system documentation, and compliance with EMSA’s style guide. This project is in the implementation phase, indicating that it is beyond initial research and focused on practical execution.

There is no co-funding requirement, as the services procured under this contract will be fully funded by EU resources. The maximum contract duration is set for 48 months, and although the tender documents do not specify the exact application stages, it is inferred that multiple stages exist, including tender submission and evaluation.

Submissions must meet strict electronic requirements, with a maximum file size for attachments of 50 MB. Organizations are required to hold a Personal Identification Code (PIC) to participate, ensuring that only registered entities can submit tenders. The eSubmission system supports all 24 official EU languages and incorporates encryption to protect the integrity of submitted information.

Overall, this tender reflects a significant opportunity for IT service providers to engage in a high-value project that involves advanced cloud technology and modernization efforts, contributing to the efficiency and effectiveness of maritime safety within the European Union.

This is an invitation to tender, specifically a request for offer, published on November 27, 2025. The tender is for the re-architecture of the European Index Server (EIS) to be cloud-native and its deployment to the Azure cloud. The procedure identifier is EMSA/2025/OP/0035. The submission method is electronic and the procedure type is an open procedure. The estimated total value of the tender is 1,800,000 EUR. The lead contracting authority is the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The main classification according to CPV (Common Procurement Vocabulary) is 72000000, which covers IT services including consulting, software development, Internet services, and support. The nature of the contract is for services, and the maximum contract duration is 48 months. The award method will be based on the best price-quality ratio. This is a framework agreement without reopening of competition.

Key milestones include the TED publication date on November 27, 2025, the date and time of the public opening on January 7, 2026, at 11:00 Europe/Lisbon time, and the deadline for receipt of tenders on January 5, 2026, at 16:00 Europe/Lisbon time. The contracting authority will not reply to questions submitted after December 22, 2025, at 08:00 Europe/Lisbon time.

There are 17 documents available for download related to this tender:

1. Invitation to tender (request for offer)
2. E-submission guidelines for candidates and tenderers
3. Tenderer (Candidate) Checklist for candidates and tenderers
4. Tender Specifications
5. Appendix TS.06 - Technical Capacity Checklist (Tender specifications - adm. part)
6. Appendix TS.01 - Cloud Migration Report (Technical specifications)
7. Appendix TS.02 - SSN EIS Database Design (Technical specifications)
8. Appendix TS.03 - SSN-EIS-System Design Document (Technical specifications)
9. Appendix TS.04 - SSN EIS Application description (Technical specifications)
10. Appendix TS.05 - EMSA Style guide package (Technical specifications)

Submissions must be sent exclusively via the electronic submission address provided.

A section for Questions and Answers (Q&A) is available, where potential tenderers can log in to create questions. There is also a public Q&A section, a FAQ section, and a "My Q&A" section for managing questions.

Some frequently asked questions (FAQs) are answered:

- If the system is slow or doesn’t work during upload/download, use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, clear cache and cookies, and follow troubleshooting steps.
- E-submission supports the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Refer to the System Requirements link for technical recommendations.
- Submission details are not accessible after the deadline due to system encryption.
- Submissions can be found in ‘My Submission(s)’ in the Funding & Tenders portal.
- Attachments should be less than 50 MB in size.
- Attachment names in eSubmission must follow the System Requirements.
- The system supports video submissions; check the System Requirements for supported formats.
- Invited candidates can only see procurement documents after selecting an organization in the F&T Portal.
- A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation as a sole candidate or member of a consortium.
- To resolve file upload errors, ensure files meet the system's technical requirements.
- The maximum number of attachments per tender is 200 files.
- A PIC is mandatory to submit a tender or request to participate; only one PIC per organization should be used.
- Organizations can register and get a PIC using the Search PIC tool under 'How to Participate' > Participant Register.
- The system supports all 24 official EU languages.
- The character set encoding is UTF-8.
- The system uses encryption to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of information.
- Supported file types depend on the submission type and are specified in the system requirements.
- Draft submissions can be viewed, edited, and deleted until the deadline.
- An "UNKNOWN" legal form display issue in the submission report is not a blocking issue.
- An automatic email about the deadline being reached does not mean the submission was incorrect.

In summary, this is a call for tenders by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) for the re-architecture and cloud deployment of the European Index Server (EIS) to Azure. The tender is open to any organization that can provide the necessary IT services, consulting, software development, and support. The estimated value is 1.8 million EUR, and the contract duration is 48 months. The submission deadline is January 5, 2026. Tenderers must submit their proposals electronically and ensure they meet all the technical requirements outlined in the tender documents. A key requirement is having a valid PIC (Personal Identification Code). The award will be based on the best price-quality ratio. The project involves modernizing the EIS to be cloud-native, leveraging Azure cloud services, and ensuring compliance with EMSA's style guide.

Eligible Applicant Types: The content does not explicitly specify the eligible applicant types. However, based on the nature of the tender (IT services, consulting, software development), it is likely that eligible applicants include companies (SMEs and large enterprises), consulting firms, IT service providers, and research institutions with relevant expertise. The requirement for a Participant Identification Code (PIC) suggests that any organization capable of registering for a PIC is eligible.

Funding Type: Procurement. This is an invitation to tender (request for offer), indicating a procurement process where the contracting authority (European Maritime Safety Agency) seeks to purchase services.

Consortium Requirement: The content mentions that a Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium). This suggests that both single applicants and consortia are eligible to apply.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The content does not explicitly define geographic eligibility. However, given that it is an EU funding opportunity managed by the European Maritime Safety Agency, it is highly likely that the beneficiary scope includes EU member states and potentially EEA countries or other countries with agreements with the EU.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is ICT (Information and Communication Technology), specifically IT services, consulting, software development, and cloud computing. The tender focuses on the re-architecture of the European Index Server to be cloud-native and deployment to Azure cloud.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned. The European Union is implied as the relevant region due to the Lead contracting authority being the European Maritime Safety Agency.

Project Stage: The project stage is development and deployment. The project involves the re-architecture of an existing system (European Index Server) to be cloud-native and its deployment to the Azure cloud. This suggests that the project is beyond the initial research phase and is focused on practical implementation and deployment.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the tender is 1,800,000 EUR.

Application Type: Open call. The procedure type is explicitly stated as an "Open procedure," meaning it is an open call for tenders.

Nature of Support: Money. The selected tenderer will receive a service contract with a maximum duration of 48 months, with payment upon successful delivery of the contracted services.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly stated, but it can be inferred that there are multiple stages. These likely include:
1. Review of the tender documents and preparation of the tender proposal.
2. Submission of the tender proposal.
3. Evaluation of the tender proposal based on the best price-quality ratio.
4. Contract award and signature.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided content.

Co-funding Requirement: The content does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:

This is an invitation to tender issued by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) for the re-architecture of the European Index Server (EIS) to be cloud-native and its deployment to the Azure cloud. The tender, identified as EMSA/2025/OP/0035, is an open procedure with an estimated total value of 1,800,000 EUR. The contract duration is a maximum of 48 months, and the award will be based on the best price-quality ratio.

The tender is aimed at companies, IT service providers, consulting firms, and research institutions with expertise in IT services, consulting, software development, and cloud computing. Both single applicants and consortia are eligible to apply. The submission method is electronic, and the deadline for receipt of tenders is 05/01/2026 at 16:00 Europe/Lisbon. The contracting authority will not reply to questions submitted after 22/12/2025 at 08:00 Europe/Lisbon.

The project involves the migration of the existing EIS system to a cloud-native architecture on Azure. This includes tasks such as cloud migration reporting, SSN EIS database design, system design documentation, application description, and adherence to the EMSA style guide. Tenderers must demonstrate their technical capacity to undertake such a project.

The eSubmission system supports various file types and has specific requirements for attachment sizes (less than 50 MB) and naming conventions. The system is multilingual, supporting all 24 official EU languages, and uses encryption to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the information.